MSFT Up As Market Rises Markets are surging back from morning lows. Shares of MSFT are up with tech. Catalysts for the stock include Windows 8, Windows Server 8, Office 15 and Windows Phone 8; expansion in the smartphone market with primary hardware partner Nokia; strides in cloud computing; profitability in the online business, including integration of Skype; and continued evolution of Kinect and next generation Xbox. The stock currently trades at 7.2x Enterprise Value / TTM Free Cash Flow.

Apple Looks To Finish Off Microsoft(The Wall Street Journal)Apple has helped usher in a more user-friendly approach to technology, giving CIOs a greater range of strategic options. But it has also introduced a much higher degree of complexity that must also be managed. Apple’s challenge is to retain the fanatical devotion of app developers. Microsoft, meanwhile, has to convince developers to bet on its new Windows 8 operating system, practically sight unseen. If Apple maintains its current winning streak, CIOs will have to expend precious resources managing a more heterogeneous and complex IT environment, while an unlikely comeback by Microsoft may allow them to focus on more strategic activities.

Will Microsoft Buy Nokia? (PC World)Rumors are flying again that Microsoft is eying a buyout of Nokia. This time they might be true. It's not so much that Microsoft wants to buy the troubled phone maker as that Microsoft may be forced to buy it to prop up the struggling Windows Phone platform. Why might Microsoft buy Nokia now? Nokia is clearly in worse shape and Microsoft simply can't afford a severely weakened Nokia. The future of Windows Phone rests as much with Nokia as it does with Microsoft. Without Nokia, Windows Phone will be nearly dead. And Nokia can also be had for much less than it could have late last year.

Microsoft Is Not Marginalizing Gamers (Edge)Microsoft executive Phil Harrison insists his new employer isn't leaving gamers behind in its bid to transform the Xbox 360 from a games console into a multimedia device. But the suspicion remains, however, that E3 2012 was light on surprise new announcements because, behind closed doors, the industry is gearing up for the next generation of console hardware. Harrison wouldn't be drawn on whether there was ever any weight to claims that Microsoft had planned to unveil the Xbox 360 successor at E3 this year, but does confirm that the company has more in the works than it showed on stage.

Apple's Billionaire Competitors Loose Big On WWDC Day(Forbes)While the U.S. stock market as a whole went south yesterday amid Eurozone worries, the billionaires behind Apple’s big competitors were among the hardest hit. Microsoft moguls Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer saw their fortunes dip a combined $629 million. Gates was the biggest loser, down $378.24 million as his company’s stock fell 2.55%. Google kingpins Sergey Brin and Larry Page were also worth slightly less at close of market on Monday, losing a combined $617 million as the search engine’s stock fell just over 2%.